Against All the Odds
by ILS012
Summary: "You and Draco are indecisive and stubborn to an extreme degree, and that's the problem with the two of you." With the war against Voldemort approaching, Hogwarts needs all the help they can get. But what happens when their two star pupils can't get past their pride and judgment to rally together & protect the only home either of them has ever known?
1. Chapter 1

**Mini A/N. Okay, so hey guys(: For anyone who reads this, just remember that we are not perfect and that there may be a few errors. Feel free to give any constructive critism...much appreciated. And this is my first Dramione Fanfiction. **

**Hope you guys love it as much as I do(: **

* * *

"Ten points from Slytherin!" Hermione Granger's stringent voice carried down the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, elating her glum spirits as she saved a young first year from Hufflepuff an excruciatingly painful wedgie from Crabbe and Goyle. The young wizard flashed her a grateful smile, a mix of fear and great respect reflecting in his eyes. She nodded curtly at him, allowing the boy to speed off towards the Hufflepuff common room, no doubt. Being Head Girl had its challenges, but Hermione had expected a little more mayhem running about in the hallways.

Where was everyone? The corridors were virtually vacant, and she knew for a fact that no one was outside, unless they were completely daft to enjoy all the lightning and thunder that came with March. In fact, the weather seemed to reflect Hermione's emotions to the T, for what reason, no one in her year could have ever guessed.

Hermione Granger was having boy troubles.

And by boy troubles, she meant Harry and Ron. How dare they leave her to "take care" of the school, as they put it, while they went off in search of the Horcruxes that would supposedly bring the Dark Lord's reign to a shattering end? Did they even stop to think that _maybe_, just maybe, she could have been useful? She was the brains of the trio, after all. Sometimes she wondered where they would be without her! And with a seemingly impossible war with Voldemort rapidly approaching, they choose _now _to become their own people and show the wizard community exactly what they were capable, without the help of Hermione Granger.

As if this were some sort of test run! Hermione snorted out loud at her friend's incompetence. There wasn't really anything she could do here even. Most of the Hogwarts students had fled the country when they had realized that indeed, You-Know-Who had returned. Hermione hardly had to manage _anyone_. The thought was depressing all on its own, but Dumbledore insisted on running the school as thought everything was alright.

Hermione greatly respected the old man, but honestly, everything was _falling _apart. What, with Voldemort's army taking over the _Daily Prophet _and the Ministry, there was no hope. At least, everyone else had no hope. Hermione made a vow to herself to stay strong and positive, if not for herself, but for all the young witches and wizards, who would no doubt be watching her as an example.

Hogwarts had been her only _real _home for as long as Hermione had been waving a wand. She wasn't about to let some dark wizard come to take it from her, before she had even had the chance to finish her schooling!

Some of the people who had stayed behind in her year included Hannah Abbott, the Patil twins, Luna, Neville, Crabbe, Goyle, Dean, Seamus, a couple others from each of the houses…and last, Malfoy.

Why the infamous Draco Malfoy had decided to stay behind at Hogwarts, as Head Boy no less, while his family was fighting on the enemy's side was beyond Hermione's comprehension. Malfoy had always been a pain in her arse, and that wasn't about to stop. She wasn't afraid of him now that he was rumored to be a Death Eater. The way Hermione saw it, Malfoy was still a snobby rich pureblood who loved making her life miserable.

In fact, she suspected that their fine Headmaster had put them together as Head Girl and Boy in hopes that Hermione could teach Malfoy a thing or two.

Whatever Dumbledore's intentions might have been, her so-called "partner" refused to work with her! He showed up late to their meetings, completely disregarded every single rule, and found time to belittle the younger witches and wizards. Hermione had never dreamed that when she accepted the job that she would be working with someone as incompetent and insufficient as Draco Malfoy. Hermione glanced at her watch, and blinked sleepily, keeping a keen ear out for any trouble makers. It was midnight, and curfew as well. She expected to find at least _one _couple snogging the daylights out of each other, completely oblivious to curfew.

She shook her head; if she didn't know any better, she would assume that no one really _cared _about Voldemort's imminent arrival…no one but her.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Granger?" A cold voice drawled behind her, making Hermione straighten her posture and turn around to scowl at the Head Boy. "Or better yet, finding some boring textbook to bury your abnormally large nose in?"

Hermione flushed crimson. Her nose wasn't _that _large, was it? "Shouldn't you be off shagging the daylights out of some innocent sixth year?"

Malfoy dismissed the idea immediately. "Already left her sleeping back in the common room," he said slyly, a malicious glint in his silver eyes. He ran a hand coolly through his white-blonde hair, sizing Hermione up.

"Classy of you," Hermione retorted curtly. She wasn't going to waste precious sleeping time discussing Malfoy's sex-life with none other than Malfoy himself.

He frowned at her with disapproval. "Seriously, Granger, is this how you spend your Friday nights? Wandering the corridors at night, pitying yourself on how no one will ever love you? Seems like your kind of thing..." He wrinkled his petit nose in distaste. "Unless you were on your way to meet someone…which is highly bloody unlikely because then I would have to ask who the poor unfortunate bloke was."

"Sod off, Ferret." Hermione bit her tongue, trying to restrain herself from really flying off the handle. She wasn't sure if it was the added stress from micro-managing a twit, but this year, Malfoy had really managed to push her buttons. It was almost as if they were pitiful second years, practically children, when they were almost adults.

He smirked at her. "Really, Granger, that got old years ago. Try to think of something more original next time…unless of course that Mudblood mind of yours can't help but follow in other's footsteps."

Hermione glared at the boy. Well…actually she had to glare _up _at him. Malfoy had gotten taller this year, but kept his willowy but muscular figure. She figured beating up innocent people while remaining Voldemort's lapdog was paying off in the body building aspect. "Why would I want to spend precious time thinking of new insults for the insignificant likes of you? I have better things to do with my life."

"Yeah," Malfoy said, his husky sleepy voice dripping with sarcasm. "Granger's got to be the first in line to buy that new copy of _Hogwarts: A History. _Honestly, Granger, anyone would think you set yourself up to be insulted. But considering the fact that you have actually managed to beat _me _in classes, you must be somewhat worthy of your bookish title."

"Gee, I didn't know beating arrogant prats was such an accomplishment," Hermione said silkily. "I would have gotten an award a _long _time ago. You know, since I have kicked your sorry arse in every subject since Day 1."

"Because you have no social life," Malfoy quipped. "Whereas I—"

"Are too busy being Voldemort's lapdog to give a damn about your studies?" Hermione snapped coldly, glaring pointedly at him.

Malfoy's body became rigid, an expression crossing his face that Hermione had never seen in it before. Was it murderous? She gulped. He was in Voldemort's inner circle, and therefore could have her beheaded, or worse, with one press of the Dark Mark. Mentally, she slapped herself for being so ignorant. How could she have forgotten? He was a Death Eater, one of them. And yet, Dumbledore trusted him enough to roam the school at night?

Something wasn't adding up.

"Bitch," he snarled simply and stalked off. Hermione stood there, alone in the corridor, simply speechless.

So _she _had managed to push his buttons this time. A grin of satisfaction slowly spread across Hermione's lips, but it faded as soon as it had appear. Something about the situation made it not as sustaining to insult Malfoy, and his sudden departure left a sour taste in Hermione's mouth, as if victory had not been as sweet as she once pictured.

Perhaps it was that they were both grown up now. They were both heading in different directions, but Malfoy had chosen a direction of destruction. It was her _duty _to try and steer him in the right direction, though she wasn't sure why. He had been so evil and cruel to her for as long as she knew him; Hermione owed him _nothing_. If anything, he owed her for all the grief and pain he had caused her over the years.

Forget the prick, she was due for a well-deserved rest.

But the fact that Malfoy was still up and running about the castle caused her senses to awaken with a jolt. If he wasn't shagging some innocent sixth year, then what was he doing? And if he was doing something he shouldn't be…

Hermione quickly turned on her heels, grateful that she was wearing sensible sneaking shoes, and followed Malfoy in the direction that he had stalked off in. She soon caught up with him, making sure to keep a safe distance away, in case he turned around and caught her following him. Hermione wasn't sure if she would have the pride to explain exactly why she was on his case.

Malfoy seemed very intent on a certain location; Hermione realized that after having followed him halfway across the castle. Where _was _he going? He had passed the Great Hall, Room of Requirement, and the Slytherin dorms. All the more reason to see where the Death Eater was headed off to. Hermione swore, if he was intending on letting in more Death Eaters, especially after that fiasco last year, _and _all the safety precautions and enchantments placed on Hogwarts, she would wring his neck out.

Just as Malfoy turned a corner, Hermione stopped for a moment so that he would still be in front of her and continued to round the corner when large hands slammed her back into the brick walls. Hermione winced at the harsh contact, knowing that it was bound to leave a mark. She looked into Malfoy's eyes, seeing the anger and fury that had boiled over.

Hermione gulped. Merlin, this was not going to end well. "And just what the _hell _do you think you were doing, following me like that?" he growled.

She blushed, trying to come up with an explanation of why she had been tailing him in the middle of the night, but her tone became defiant as she, instead of answering Malfoy's question, shot him one of her own. "Why were you wandering the halls?"

"Couldn't sleep," he murmured, then narrowed his eyes at her. "What business is it of yours, Mudblood?" Even though the name had grown old in its effect on Hermione, it still managed to sting in ways that she could never explain. It wasn't necessarily the word itself, but the hatred meant behind it. Malfoy's hatred. For her.

"I'm Head Girl," she shot back lightly. "It's my job to know what the so-called Head Boy is doing at this late hour."

"Thought you were going to catch me in the act of bringing in more Death Eaters, Granger?" Malfoy's voice became dangerously low, in case any teachers came down this way and managed to fall upon them. After all, the position that they were in would give anyone the impression that they hadn't just been merely "talking".

Hermione flushed again. That had been her intentions, but why was her guard down all of a sudden? She felt as though she had lost some of her inborn wit and quick that had gotten her through the past years. She felt slow this year, not as sharp as she had been. And that was the least of her problems. "No," she said quickly. "But you _did _look suspicious."

"Ah, so you'd thought you'd be Goody-Two-Shoes Granger and find out what it was that I was up to?" Malfoy asked fiercely. "Well then, if you so desire, come along."

She was taken aback. Did he just say what she thought he just said? Malfoy wished for _her_, a common Mudblood in his eyes, to come along and make sure he wasn't doing anything that would probably land him in Azkaban? Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, hands groping her robes for her wand, just in case. "Try and pull anything and I will hex you until you can't remember your own name, got it?"

Malfoy shrugged. "Anything to get your annoying arse off of my back."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but Malfoy quickly clamped her mouth shut. "And no talking!"

She glared at him and shook her head furiously, wrenching his hands off of her. "Let me _go_!" she spat. "You can't just go around, treating me as if I'm some _dog _who you can simply silence! I'm Hermione Granger, I won't be lulled into a false sense of security so that you can extract petty revenge. Walk in front of me."

"No," Malfoy snarled. "I'm not going to walk in front so that you can just _hex _me for the hell of it. We're walking side by side. And in case you're wondering where we're going, we're heading to the Owlery."

Hermione frowned. "Why didn't you just take the passage back there? It would have been much faster."

"You were following me. I wanted to confront you."

"By making sure I can no longer move my back?" Hermione growled. "Thanks a lot, by the way."

"Anything for you, Mudblood."

"Malfoy," she sighed. "Are you really going to call me Mudblood for the rest of the year? It's grown quite old, in case you haven't noticed, and I'm no longer offended by it."

His shook his head. "The way I see it, _Mudblood_, we are not friends. I'm not going to simply stop doing something because _you _don't like it. The only reason why I'm talking to your annoyingly obnoxious self is so that you will leave me the fuck _alone_."

"Just _walk_."

Malfoy did so, making a face at Hermione before proceeding in the direction of the Owlery. She followed beside him, her long, slender fingers that were in desperate need of a clipping, gripped her wand carefully. She didn't trust the slimy git, and if Harry and Ron were here (the arses), they would say the exact same thing.

Harry and Ron. The mere thought of them off risking their lives, without _her_, made her eyes swim with tears. She refused to cry in front of Malfoy, but she honestly missed her friends terribly. Ever since their immediate disappearance after Bill and Fleur's wedding, Hermione hadn't received any form of communication from either one of the boys. Since then, she had taken up to becoming better friends with the girls in her own House.

Lavender, Parvati and Ginny were really the only suitable options out of the girls that Hermione actually _knew _as well as ones that had bothered to come back for their seventh year. Luna and Neville still remained close, of course, but Hermione still found that none of them could replace Harry and Ron.

As Malfoy and Hermione approached the steps to the Owlery, Hermione was slightly curious and a little fearful. What was he doing sending an Owl at this time? Well, at least she hoped.

Hermione's grip on her wand tightened.


	2. 2 The Letter

Draco wondered why she was so nervous.

God, sometimes the nerve of that infuriating bitch put him over the edge. In fact, they should just start making medication for Granger-induced migraines. He could feel her tensing beside him, and the very thought that she might be nervous or scared of what he might do to her cheered him up in the slightest. Hm…interesting. Taunting and making Granger's life hell wasn't exactly satisfying him anymore. That didn't mean he was going to stop trying, of course. That girl needed someone to put her in her place, it might as well be him.

He felt slightly nervous himself of her seeing the letter and his response, which is why he had to go in the stealth of night; he didn't want anyone catching whiff of what he was up to. Of course, Granger might already know about what he was planning on doing, but then wouldn't she have let him go to the Owlery all on his own?

She didn't trust him. In the slightest bit.

That fact was slightly disappointing him. Not that he needed or craved for her trust in him, but still, one would think being Head Boy meant something to Granger. After being in the same year as her and coming in second for six years in a row, he would think that she saw him as fit competition. That was hardly the case.

Draco knew that he was making the right decision, after all. When everyone else had gone to fight with the Dark Lord, Draco had remained, using the lame excuse that he wanted finish the last year of education. It had been the most pitiful, Granger-like response he had ever heard himself say, but his parents seemed to understand. What fools. Draco knew that his father was disappointed in him for abandoning his fellow Death Eaters, but Draco had assured him that he would make it worth the wait in time.

His father bought that too.

Aunt Bella seemed to be the only one that saw through his lies. She had practically raised him (his parents had always been much too busy to raise a child in the first place), and she knew when her nephew was telling the truth. It was quite bothersome at times, especially when she had confronted him about it in the cellar while going to retrieve Charity Burbage from the cellar for interrogation.

If he closed his eyes, Draco could still hear the screams echoing in the hallway. It was something he had to live with all summer, and he never dreamed of the day he would be _glad _to return to Hogwarts. But he was. It was the only place where he could get away from everything going on at home. Even if insufferable know-it-alls like Hermione Granger had to go and fuck it up.

He hadn't realized that he had been stalling time with his mangled thoughts until Granger tugged on his sleeve sharply. "Well?" she snapped, making his migraine return immediately. "Are you going in?"

Draco nodded, trying to block out Granger's annoyingly superior voice out of his head. She thought she was so much better than everyone else, and for someone with common blood, that was a little much. "Put a sock in it, Granger, I'm trying to enjoy my evening."

"Just open the damn door," she cursed, much to his surprise. Hearing Granger use such tainted words was almost…refreshing. Made her seem more human than a fucking robot who spat out useless facts during class.

He obliged, calling out softly to calm the sleeping Owls. Hermione was direction behind him, he knew, and she probably had her wand out of her robes by now. God, when was she going to stop being so damn predictable? "You can lower your wand, Granger. I doubt these Owls can do _that _much harm." He whirled around to find her pocketing her wand once again, her cheeks ablaze. Why does she keep doing that? Blushing like a schoolgirl? It wasn't the Granger he had mocked all these years to start flushing like this. It was unnatural, and it upset him.

Slowly, he pulled out his response to the letter, Granger peering closely over his shoulder. "What on earth is that?" she whispered.

"Get off my shoulder," Draco snapped. "I don't need to know that you drank an intoxicatingly amount of pumpkin juice for dinner." Granger backed away a few steps, still looking intently on the piece of parchment enclosed in his hand.

"What is it?" she repeated.

"_That_…is none of your business," Draco smirked at her. "Although, I'm sure that you will learn of its contents. Patience, Granger, patience."

Granger folded her arms. "I don't like waiting."

Draco snorted. "That explains a lot."

"Prick."

"Wanker."

"Fine. I don't care." Draco watched as a hopeful smile flickered on Granger's lips, hoping he would cave in and tell her the letter's contents. Hah, she must not know him very well. It was already bad enough that he had to spend this unfortunate amount of time with her, them being Head Boy and Girl, but this? He wasn't looking for a friendship with Granger. In fact, he wasn't looking for _anything _with Granger. As long as she stayed out of his way and didn't act like the All-Knowing Bitch she was, then he would try and maintain his temper.

Maybe.

"Don't play the guilt game with me, Mudblood," Draco spat. "I _invented _that game."

"That explains a lot. This was probably the most useless fifteen minutes of my life spent on making sure you weren't doing anything illegal. I'm off to bed."

"Does that mean you'll stop tailing me like a lost puppy?" Draco asked hopefully to the back of Granger's head, as her hands gripped the railing just as she was about to descend down to Gryffindor tower.

She turned around and rolled her eyes. "Not on your life, Ferret." Granger was halfway down the stairs when Draco swore he heard her speak again. It seemed to be something along the lines of, "Goodnight, Malfoy."

Malfoy did have a good night.

* * *

"Hermione? _Hermione_?" Ginny's unusually whinny voice broke the Head Girl out of her thoughts, which had unfortunately circled around someone by the name of Draco Malfoy. Hermione's thoughts on what could _possibly _be in the letter that Malfoy had been so keen on her not seeing.

_Although I'm sure you will learn of its contents. _His voice spoke sharply in her mind, echoing and bouncing off of her skull like an extremely elastic bouncy ball. _Patience, Granger, patience. _And that was the insinuatingly painful part about the whole ordeal. Hermione was in no way, shape or form patient and now that the letter in which Malfoy carried like a precious talisman haunted her thoughts. She couldn't even listen to Ginny ranting about how much she missed Harry without thinking of it.

Trust Malfoy to find some way for Hermione to be constantly thinking of him. It probably didn't even contain anything important to begin with, he just wanted to make a fool out of her. Speaking of the arse, he walked into the Great Hall, his hair completely disheveled from sleeping, dark circles under his dully lit eyes. Hermione could relate. Despite the fact that most witches and wizards stayed up partying that late on a daily basis, the lack of sleep was killing Hermione, and she knew that she wouldn't be receiving any soon, that was for sure.

Ginny broke out of her rant to make sure that Hermione was still listening. Hermione, who hadn't noticed the young girl's lack in speech, craned her neck discreetly following Malfoy as he joined Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott at the Slytherin table. "Hermione? Are you even listening to me?" she asked impishly, following her friend's gaze. "Or are you too busy having R-rated fantasies about a certain Slytherin prick? I didn't know you went for that kind, 'ermione."

That certainly snapped Hermione out of her thoughts. "What?" she exclaimed, taking a large bite of toast, gulping it down before it was fully chewed, making her gag slightly. "I would rather have fantasies about Goyle before Malfoy."

Ginny wrinkled her freckled nose. "I see your point," she said disdainfully. "Do you find it odd that it's been three weeks and we haven't been summoned to the Order yet?" she asked now, keeping her voice cautiously low. "I know the adults have all been handling it, but still. I feel as though we should have heard something."

"Spring break is coming up soon," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I'm sure they're waiting until then to catch us up."

"I still see no sense in having us learn lessons when You-Know-Who is building up his damn army as we speak," Ginny retorted fiercely. "It seems as though we don't have the upper hand, and there is _no _way we can lose."

"I know, Gin," Hermione soothed her friend, her tone kind and gentle. "But Owls aren't able to get through without _someone _checking them. It's a wonder that Death Eaters haven't been able to take over the school yet."

"Dumbledore's doing," Ginny said, taking a sip of juice. "He and the other professors had all kinds of charms and enchantments placed on the barriers. You-Know-Who is going to have one hell of a time trying to break through them."

"You're probably right—and for God's sakes, Ginny, call him Voldemort. It makes no difference."

"How can you be so calm about all of this?" Ginny asked, her voice taking a fearful tone. She pulled at a strand of her flaming red hair, playing with it idly.

"I have my responsibilities," Hermione said calmly. "And I trust Harry and Ron to find those Horcruxes." Ginny already knew about the Horcruxes, of course. Harry couldn't bear the thought of her not knowing what they were up to, especially if he didn't make it back alive. The thought of him dying made Hermione's heart ache, especially since Harry was like a brother to her. She loved him so dearly, and Ron as well, that she wouldn't know what to do with herself if something happened to them. Of course, she was still annoyed that they hadn't brought her along with them, especially since she knew so many useful spells, but she was sure they had their reasons.

Perhaps they wanted her to remain so she could keep the rest of Hogwarts safe. Hermione could only assume, but it seemed like something Harry or Ron would say. And the fact that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott were still at school, when their own _parents _were off fighting and killing, kept Hermione on her toes constantly. She couldn't afford to blink without wondering if they were going to do something that could possibly endanger the life of another human being.

"Harry will come back," Hermione said reassuringly. "And when he does and we defeat Voldemort, you two will live happily ever after together. You'll see."

Ginny seemed slightly bit more relaxed, but Hermione knew why she was so on edge. She would be too, if it had been her. But it wasn't, so the most she could do was console her best friend's little sister, who had become like a best friend to Hermione as well, over the past couple months.

"Hermione," Ginny said abruptly. "The Owls are arriving."

Without thinking, Hermione whipped her head around to see if Malfoy received something so fast that she gave herself a nasty whiplash. Crying out in pain, her hands steadied her aching neck, rubbing it tenderly as a snowy white Owl neatly dropped a letter with hers and Ginny's name inscribed on it in fancy curly letters. She automatically recognized Molly Weasley's handwriting right away. "Gin, it's from your Mum."

Ginny's eyes widened and she ripped the letter from Hermione's hands, almost giving her a paper cut to add to the searing ache. "Ouch!" Hermione yelped.

The redhead flashed her an apologetic smile before tearing open the envelope. Releasing the letter, she unfolded it quickly and scanned it rapidly. "It's encoded," she said with distaste. "Mum taught you the spell to read it, didn't she?"

Hermione nodded eagerly and reached for the paper, pulling out her wand. She quickly murmured the spell, casting a wary glance at everyone at the Gryffindor table to make sure they hadn't heard. Even though Hermione suspected none of these people, precautions _had _to be taken. They were fighting a damn _war_. Who knows what people would do for power and control? She reread the letter, a flicker of happiness growing in her heart. Good things didn't come so often, so she tried to relish each one as much as she could:

_Dearest Hermione and Ginny, _

_ We are expecting to hold another meeting for the Order at Headquarters. I am certain that Remus already told you the enchantments concealing the house, so we will see you on Saturday evening as the clock strikes seven. Be there on time. Dumbledore will be arriving shortly after that with a crucial update. This must be important if the busy headmaster himself will be attending. _

_ Hope all is well. Have you heard word from Harry and Ron? They haven't said anything to us before they disappeared after Bill and Fleur's wedding. Don't reply to this. If by some chance you cannot make it, send a Patronus._

_ Much Love, Molly Weasley _

Ginny's eyes teared up slightly at the mention of Harry and Ron, but before Hermione could comment, she swiped them away with the mere flick of her hand.

Sniffling, she smiled weakly at Hermione. "Well that answers that, now doesn't it?"


End file.
